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Applied & Professional Ethics

Types of Degrees Applied & Professional Ethics Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Applied & Professional Ethics have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Bachelor’s Degree	107
Master’s Degree	111
Doctor’s Degree	15

What Applied & Professional Ethics Majors Need to Know

Programs in Applied & Professional Ethics emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Applied & Professional Ethics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Applied & Professional Ethics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Applied & Professional Ethics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Applied & Professional Ethics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Applied & Professional Ethics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.8 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Applied & Professional Ethics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Philosopher’s Information Center The Philosopher’s Index	Data base user interface and query software	—
Gateway to Logic	Analytical or scientific software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
University of California Thesaurus Linguae Graecae TLG	Dictionary software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Applied & Professional Ethics graduates include:

• Divinity Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Eastern Philosophy Professor
• Religion Instructor
• Associate Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Philosophy Instructor
• Online Philosophy Instructor
• Philosophy Adjunct Instructor
• Philosophy Specialist
• Western Philosophy Professor
• Adjunct Philosophy Professor
• Philosophy Assistant Professor
• Educator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Applied & Professional Ethics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	73.8%
Master’s degree	13.1%
Post-doctoral training	12.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Applied & Professional Ethics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62% of Applied & Professional Ethics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	145	62.0%
Men	89	38.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Applied & Professional Ethics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	118	50.4%
Asian	18	7.7%
Hispanic or Latino	33	14.1%
Black or African American	45	19.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.4%
Two or More Races	6	2.6%
Race Unknown	3	1.3%
International Students	10	4.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Applied & Professional Ethics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Applied & Professional Ethics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$35,242
4 years	$46,522
5 years	$56,339

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,339 — roughly 60% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Applied & Professional Ethics Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Applied & Professional Ethics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	3	0
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Applied & Professional Ethics Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Applied & Professional Ethics graduates earn a median of $46,522 four years after completion — roughly 22% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Philosophy	8,973
Philosophy	8,253
Christian Studies	618
Philosophy, Other	328
Philosophy and Religious Studies, General	184
Ethics	147
Buddhist Studies	23
Logic	11
Hindu Studies	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.